This week I wrap up my Florida series with a species that bridges the gap between North and South. I also present to you a species that I have never discussed in the 19 years that I have been writing this column; a species that has proven elusive despite the fact that I have heard and seen it many times. The species I am speaking about is the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus).
If you pick up a field guide and examine a range map for the red-shouldered hawk, you find a distribution that basically covers the eastern United States. Only the most southern portions of Quebec and Ontario, Canada are inhabited by this species at the extreme northern limit of its range. Then, the shaded portion of the map extends west to Minnesota, before dipping in a gentle southwesterly direction to the eastern half of Texas.
To get into the heart of this hawk’s range, you need cross that perfectly straight line that marks the northern borders of South Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. North of that line, the red-shouldered hawk is described as being uncommon, which is exactly how I would describe my personal experience with this species. I am aware of the bird, I see it from time to time, but from one year to the next, I don’t really know if I’ll see one or not.
A member of the Buteo genus, the red-shouldered hawk is closely related to the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). These are the larger “soaring” hawks that one might see gliding in circles over the countryside on a beautiful summer day. As with the Accipiters, there is a continuum of Buteos that inhabit our part of the world. The smallest member of the genus is the broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus), which has a body length of 14 to 19 inches. Next is the red-shouldered hawk with a body length of 17 to 24 inches. Finally, the red-tailed hawk caps off the group with a body length of 19 to 25 inches.
As with all species — but particularly noticeable in species that are so closely related — they divide the landscape into niches that define their specialties. The red-tailed hawk seems to prefer open country, while the two smaller species prefer woodlands. Then, the red-shouldered hawk seems to prefer the woodland-water combination, nesting in areas that have streams and swamps. This is a species that has seen its range shrink as the result of human activity. As humans have removed forests from the landscape, they have thinned the number of red-shouldered hawks.
Within its habitat of woods and water, the red-shouldered hawk is a generalist predator of small animals. Mice and chipmunks are definitely on the diet, but so are snakes, frogs, and even small birds. Basically, this bird will eat just about anything that it can catch. In the southern portion of its range, this includes things like crayfish and lizards.
As with the red-tailed hawk, the red-shouldered hawk builds a large nest in a large tree. The platform is made of fairly sizeable sticks, and then the final layer may include bark strips, moss, lichens and conifer needles. As a final touch, green leaves will be added and replaced throughout incubation. Both sexes will work together to make this nest.
The female then deposits three to four eggs, which are splotched with dark brown. I have read a description of these eggs that suggests the shells are a pale bluish color, but the photos I have seen suggest more of a creamy eggnog with a sprinkling of milk chocolate shavings. Either way, the eggs are closely guarded by both members of the pair during the month-long incubation. During this time, the male will bring food to the female and will even take a turn on the nest while she gets a chance to stretch her wings.
After hatching, the chicks grow quickly on the food provided by their father. The female stays close to them for the first three weeks or so, but eventually their size and demand for food compels the mother to join in the hunting. By the time the chicks are seven weeks old, they are ready to fly, but remain dependent on their parents for another two to three months. Being a predator requires skills that take time to develop, but the free ride doesn’t last forever. Migration marks the break in the family relationship and the young birds will be on their own.
It was a Wednesday, and I decided to go to Wakodahatchee after a morning of writing and relaxing. This was the same day that I saw the family of moorhens (gallinules), but before I spied that little family, I was playing around with photos of birds in flight. So, it was just luck that had my camera with the right settings to take my first photo of a red-shouldered hawk.
In Massachusetts, a hawk being chased by grackles is a common sight, but the hawk is a red-tailed hawk and the grackles are common grackles. At Wakodahatchee, however, the hawk was a red-shouldered hawk and the grackles were boat-tailed grackles. The interaction was the same, but the players were wonderfully different.
A hawk was being harassed by a mob of angry birds and I happened to catch the whole thing out of the corner of my eye. When I looked closely, I saw the distinctive white stripes in the wings and tail of the hawk, which immediately identified the bird as a red-shouldered hawk. It wasn’t until I raised my lens and focused that I finally saw the red shoulders. A female grackle came close and, “CLICK,” I got the shot.
Two days later, I decided to spend my last day in Florida visiting both Wakodahatchee and Green Cay. I started at Wakodahatchee, but there was no sign of a red-shouldered hawk, anywhere. I eventually said goodbye to this wonderful place and headed over to Green Cay to see what I could see, which was basically a whole lot of nothing. I was actually in the process of heading back to my car, when I heard the unmistakable call of a red-shouldered hawk.
I hear this call almost every day in the summer, but it’s usually a perfect imitation performed by a blue jay. So I wasn’t so sure that I wasn’t being conned by another jay, but I investigated nonetheless.
As I rounded a stand of palm trees, I saw the magnificent shape of a red-shouldered hawk in flight. The bird made a beeline for the palms and landed, where I was stunned to see another red-shouldered hawk waiting. I even witnessed this pair in the process of copulation, but wasn’t able to get the photo.
The two birds sat together for a while before the male decided to fly off and go hunting. Now, completely prepared for photographing the hawks, I only needed the bird to cooperate — which isn’t always what you can count on with hawks. I implored the gods for their favor and the hawk turned in a single, broad circle before departing the area.
It was all I needed.
Look for the red-shouldered hawk in wetland areas and swamps, but don’t be too discouraged if you don’t see one right away. This beautiful species is simply not that abundant in our area, but that’s what makes sighting the bird so much more special.